Description

Note: All ceremonies are free to attend.
Contributions are optional, and help cover Temple expenses.
Panditji reads contributors’ names as part of the ceremony.Learn more about contributions.

Ratha Sapthami is symbolically represented in the form of the sun god, Surya, turning his chariot (ratha), drawn by seven horses. The ratha and seven horses also represent the seven colors of the rainbow. In addition, the seven horses signify the seven days of the week, starting on Sunday. In our body there are also seven dhatus (body tissues or fundamental elements).

Ratha Sapthami also marks the birth of Surya to Kaashyapa and Aditi, hence, it is celebrated as Surya Jayanthi (birthday). Ratha Sapthami, sometimes called Maagha Sapthami, is a festival that falls on the seventh day (Sapthami) in the bright half of the Vedic month, Maagha, which falls mid-January to mid-February.

On this day, those who worship the Sun with reverence find relief from identity and past conditioning. Since Sun is the God of health, they will also receive good health. Each body organ is represented by a different god; the Sun represents heart. Especially those who are suffering with heart disease should invoke Sun to receive blessings from him.

You could look at Consciousness like it is the sun. The sun is the source of everything. Imagine the sun hitting the earth. One component of the sun is the nourisher. It feeds everything. Without the sun, nothing is sustained, nothing is maintained. When it touches something, it gives it such a glow. Think of the springtime. The plants are just resplendent from the nourishment of the Sun. On this day, we worship the Sun.